Tuesday, November 25, 2008

This old, wild, raw puerh brick is back in stock. I've described it several times already.It's a tea I know since March 2004 and have drunk countless times since. Still, each time the pleasure is unique. Today, for instance, the weather was nicely cold and grey. So, to celebrate the return of the prodigal tea, I embarked in a full fledged Cha Xi. This means I even used charcoal fire to heat the mineral water in my old Japanese tetsubin.I used this wonderful Cha Bu made, again, by my mother, with fine Japanese fabric. The hexagons are so fine and stitched by hand. It looks great. All pieces of life coming together.

And for the brick, it's more the opposite: the leaves come off easily. It's very easy to flake it without breaking the leaves. They have a clean dry wood fragrance. (In high concentration, it's quite intoxicating in a good way.) The water is slow to boil. I keep on blowing air on the charcoal to strengthen the fire. And while I wait, I can slowly continue to arrange the setup of my Cha Xi.After flaking the leaves, I store them for a short time is this antique celadon jar. A CD of guqin is playing in the background.I gaze at my old cups, their cha tuo, the Sung plate under my zhuni Duo Qio teapot and the flowers in the ever transformed into a vase.This Cha Xi works like a time machine. I've left our multi-tasking epoch and am back in a time where water is boiled over fire.I haven't used many leaves. The open leaves will only fill half the teapot once I'm done. This allows me to make long brews. This puerh is so good that it's not turning astringent or bitter, even after very long brews. It allows me a lot of freedom. I fill the teapot back with hot water as soon as I've poured it out. So, the teapot is always full. And when the cups are empty, I fill them with tea and start another brew. Anyway, this was how I felt brewing it today. And the result was even better than I remembered. I never drink it in summer, because it makes me feel so warm. So it had been half a year since our last encounter. The sweet and calm lingering taste was as smooth as ever. The fragrances of cedar and camphor wood were there and transported me, again, in old China.

The first cups were very concentrated and the last very sweet. Hummmm. I feel energized again. What a blast!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Test brewing parameters: 3 grams, 6 minutes, just boiled mineral water, white porcelain competition set.Visual enhancements: a winter quilt (my mother gave it to me during her visit to Taiwan last week), Michel's white jar, David's Earth and Fire bowl, orchids.The dry leaves are rolled in big pellets. The open leaves shows that some were damaged, bitten by insects, I believe. (But these bites are so big that they don't come from the same small green insects that bite Oriental Beauty leaves). Is this a problem? No. It shows that the leaves grew quite naturally and that insects also thought this tea was yummy!The brew is very transparent, shiny and has a nice green-yellow color.

The smells are also clear, fresh, pure. The characteristic fragrance of cool flowers, the essence of Da Yu Ling is there.

Taste: light beginning. After a soft feeling comes a typical winter dry feeling that turns mellow and a long, very long aftertaste. I feel very few weaknesses despite the tough brewing parameters.

Despite being light, this Oolong has an amazing concentration. It is possible to brew it several times with excellent results. Some teas seem exhausted after a 6 minutes infusion, but top altitude Oolongs have endured such difficult weather that they release their flavors very slowly. This is also why they are easier to brew than low elevation Oolongs: ten seconds more or less won't make a difference. Long brews might actually even taste deeper and better (provided you didn't use too many leaves).

Da Yu Ling Oolong me gives the feeling of standing on top of mountain, breathing pure fresh air. It's a good reason to be glad winter is coming! Xmas is in the air. Pine trees made of Da Yu Ling Oolong leaves are appearing!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness in Tea!

If you still wonder:Who has the most tea friendly policies? Who can provide the cleanest water?Who is most committed to a 'No tea drinker left behind' education program? Who will spread tea samples around? Who will win the war on bad taste? Here is my endorsement.